ALBUM REVIEW: Adele 25

When any album is preceded with massive hype I get worried with if it’s going to live up to the expectations. But Adele has stepped it up and delivered an album that will impress and keep you stanning. “25” is not the break up record that “21” was but it is a reflective journey that looks at her life, her struggles, love, losses, and gains. When I first heard the lead single “Hello” I was a bit worried because it didn’t have the strong emotional connection her previous singles had but from the minute I heard “When We Were Young” all my faith got reinstalled. This is the emotional and beautiful Adele ballad you need in your life and perfectly captures the reflective emotions she is trying to capture on this album. She continues to give you strong piano ballads with powering drums and soaring vocals like “Sweetest Devotion”, “All I Ask”, “Remedy” and “Water Under The Bridge”. There are some interesting and big names in the production credits for the album including Ryan Tedder, Greg Kurstin and Bruno Mars. But the name that worried me the most was Max Martin. Here I was thinking “omg she’s going to do an EDM influenced track”, “she’s just going to lost credibility to herself” but I was wrong. What they did deliver was a playful and upbeat pop track. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is a “fuck you, I’m over you” type track that has her experimenting with a carefree vibe. It’s super pop, shouldn’t work but it does so epically well. “25” is a strong album that has already broken so many records and cemented her status as one of the world’s biggest musician. You will continue to hear songs from this album on the radio for the next year on a loop but that isn’t a bad thing. These songs do have a stronger message of reflection and hope and will help you finally get up off the bedroom floor where she left you last time.